With the IKA proposal to make Formula Kite as an Olympic Class; it seems that the current IKA apporved boards under 5.5 kilo's are not allowed to qualify for for this class.

This would mean that the current Zaijcek and North boards would be able to participate in IKA/ISAF events but not in the Olympic class.

Anyone an idea if people will switch to other brands, or that boardbuilders will start building stronger and heavier? It appears that Mikes Lab put the Zaichek in production at 6.0 kilo's what will be meeting the minimum weight-limit.

Do you expect to see a shift of sailors switching to other brands or more heavy boards?

Yes, no one on the level of competing at the Olympic is going to be using boards from 2012 in 2016.

That said it is a shame that the competitors are being punished because certain board manufacturers would rather use cheap materials and elementary manufacturing processes. Then they whine that it is not fair that others who use higher quality, lighter materials, and more advanced construction make lighter and stronger boards.

4 kilos was a good goal to work toward. No one that I know of has gotten out of control with costly materials, just some boards are built better than others . .

If someone was building 3kg boards like yachts, hollow using pre-preg nomex sandwich construction, I would see the argument. What has actually happened is that those with inferior products whined and got the rules changed!

I believe this issue is more relevant than only in 2016. It would be a pitty for a kiter to order now a board and find him- or her-self in a position that he-/she is not allowed to participate in 2013 in that class.

Lars001 wrote:I believe this issue is more relevant than only in 2016. It would be a pitty for a kiter to order now a board and find him- or her-self in a position that he-/she is not allowed to participate in 2013 in that class.

Not really a relevant point...

If you had a 5.0 kg board and in 12 months a min weight of 6 kg is brought in ... Easy when you register to race , all your equipment is measured and weighted , you simply add 1 kg of weight corrector to the board . , this has been happening in dinghy / catararan racing forever . In the class rules there are certain places you can an can't add the corrector weights. Hard part is if you have a board which is say 7.0 kg it is very hard to loose that extra 1kg . If you go a lighter board as the board gets older and heavier / all boards take on some moisture and at some stage will require repairs which gain weight , You can decrease the size of the weight correctors , so you always have a board which is on weight.

If you had a 5.0 kg board and in 12 months a min weight of 6 kg is brought in ... Easy when you register to race , all your equipment is measured and weighted , you simply add 1 kg of weight corrector to the board . , this has been happening in dinghy / catararan racing forever . In the class rules there are certain places you can an can't add the corrector weights. Hard part is if you have a board which is say 7.0 kg it is very hard to loose that extra 1kg . If you go a lighter board as the board gets older and heavier / all boards take on some moisture and at some stage will require repairs which gain weight , You can decrease the size of the weight correctors , so you always have a board which is on weight.

In some windsurfer classes they allowed to add some weight, but not 20%!

But allowing more than 5% weight is bad, because that means that boards must be as light as possible and then You just add that 2kg weight in best place.

Does a difference of 1-2 Kg in the board really matters taking into account the rider can variate weight between 10-20Kg? I mean 6-10 years ago i was 70Kg , now 92Kg, a variation like that could be the case of any rider. If the rider start lossing some weight, is this going to let him perform better considering the whole combination human+board mass, or just the board is what really matter. Considering the mechanics, the position of the rider, some vertical component should place weight on the board, the more the corporal mass, the more the presure on the board, the more linear momentum of the whole thing. I know there are a lot of another factors, but does someone has records correlating corporal weight vs. speed performance and argue board weight is irrelevant? I don't know the answer...just let us know.

isaldarriaga wrote:Does a difference of 1-2 Kg in the board really matters taking into account the rider can variate weight between 10-20Kg? I mean 6-10 years ago i was 70Kg , now 92Kg, a variation like that could be the case of any rider. If the rider start lossing some weight, is this going to let him perform better considering the whole combination human+board mass, or just the board is what really matter. Considering the mechanics, the position of the rider, some vertical component should place weight on the board, the more the corporal mass, the more the presure on the board, the more linear momentum of the whole thing. I know there are a lot of another factors, but does someone has records correlating corporal weight vs. speed performance and argue board weight is irrelevant? I don't know the answer...just let us know.

I had thought the same thing in the past. The weight of the board is such a small portion of the rider/board combo, who cares about a few kg? But someone noted that it is like unsprung mass in a car. Not all weight affects the ride equally because your knees are flexing, isolating the acceleration of the board from the acceleration of the rest of you. As the board goes over some chop, your legs come up and then back down again, but your whole mass is not moved up by that amount.